Thanks to everyone for all of there interest and contributions. It appears that one benefit is having my Uncle Stan acknowledged for his feats which were far greater than mine. My parents have access to this 'thread' by now which has been very helpful for me (I am dragging them kicking and screaming into the 21st century !!) My mother tells me that Uncle Stan and his wife lived at Edwards AF Base in 1955 and it was in 1953 that we visited them in China Lake (where did that name come from?) Also I picked up my walking stick at Telescope Peak..a photo will appear in due course and I am also promised some more photos which will be put on a CD. My Uncle Stan served in WWII in the Pacific and actually was stationed in Australia. He was part of an elite group (so I'm told) called the Snoopers and he actually wrote a short book about it which I have somewhere. I think after the war he first went to Langley Field, China Lake, Edwards and then I presume Yucaipa. I rarely saw him again after 1955 as we moved to New Jersey and my education, travel etc filled up my life. He had no children in 1955 and I really don't know my cousins nor did I know about the feat that he and his son Bill achieved. Bill incidently was the only grandson amonst 7 granddaughters (I am the oldest) I have not been back to Whitney portal. I wish I could contemplate another hike but in the 1980's I had a health problem that involved my inner ear and that affected my balance to a degree that climbing became out of the question. Prior to that (circa 1975) I did climb Ayer's Rock (now Uluru) and even then had a terror of heights but I did persist and made it to the top.
to answer some questions Wagga (meaning Crow in an aboriginal dialect) is an inland town in New South Wales of about 45,000 with a Base Hospital and I know many of the specialists there and have treated children referred from that area but for some reason have not visited it...I have travelled a fair amount in Australia..a unique and beautiful country. My parent's email is Wlhmf@aol.com if you want to contact them. I am sure they would be delighted to speak with any of you. I am very grateful to Steve for the time he has spent on my story. I was sad thinking it was all forgotten when I surfed the NET to find that there were no records kept about what had happened so many years ago. I didn't plan this but it may also be of value for people to know about my Uncle Stan. Don't know the whereabouts of his children but my mother might know. Best Regards, Jayne
